Beta
by STEVERANDLE'STWIN
Summary: Darrel Curtis: Pure bred werewolf, the only remaining wolf in the Curtis' bloodline. Keeping his wolf down under the surface while trying to keep it a secret, is harder than you think. When two members of the gang find out, will Darry convince them to keep the secret? Will Darry be able to protect his brothers and the gang when he's targeted by a rival wolf, an Alpha?
1. Chapter 1

I do not own the characters of The Outsiders. They rightfully belong to S.E. Hinton. I only own this idea. Reviews are appreciated. I love to know what you think. I only own the characters that I've decided to add.

Darry rolled his head on his shoulders slowly, feeling the muscles tense and relax beneath his skin, the bones in his neck cracking softly. It took only a few minutes for him to realize that something had changed, his muscles were tighter and his bones seemed to be a bit stiffer than before. He shut his eyes momentarily when his vision blurred and surged upward, as if putting everything into focus again, before he snapped them back open. His eyes now blazing an unnatural and bright icy blue, changing every color of what he originally had seen, now seeing in colors of yellow, blue, and green. Darry rolled his head on his shoulders again as he heard the all too familiar cracking of his jaw before it realigned, his canines lowered downward into sharp and lethal fangs. He slid his tongue over his teeth, a soft but deep growl leaving his parted lips. When he was younger, he had hoped that the gene would skip the next few generations completely; by now he was just trying to hold his wolf back as long as he could. But time was running out, the more you hold the wolf back, the more it wanted to rise.

He did everything he could to keep his wolf hidden from his brothers and friends, knowing that the more they knew, the more danger they were put in. Darry rose to his feet and stretched his arms above his head, noticing the slight feeling of his nails turning into claws. Tonight might be the only time he had to change without anybody finding out, although changing in the house is as risky as it gets, you never fully know whether you'll have control of your wolf or not. His eyes blazed a hint brighter as he tuned in on his hearing, making sure that the house was completely empty. Ponyboy and Johnny were both at the drive-in, Steve and Soda went to the races; Two-Bit and Dally were more than likely out getting drunk. This was his one and only shot at letting his wolf rise, if only for a few minutes. Darry closed the door to his bedroom as he stripped his shirt off, tossing it onto the bed, before sliding his jeans off as well, tossing them onto the bed with his shirt. He allowed his eyes to close as he willed his wolf up to the surface, feeling the rush of adrenaline and slight pain as the wolf surged up. He clenched his jaw against the pain that moved through his limbs, before snapping his jaws open as his bottom canines grew upwards into pointed fangs.

When another rush of pain moved through him, it went straight to his core and up his spine, sending him to his hands and knees with a choked gasp. His spine arched and bowed as each vertebra seemed to want to tear out of his skin, his bones bulging and buckling underneath him. A high pitched whine left his mouth as muscles tore free from bone, his ribs cracking and expanding outwards as they grew. His jaw cracked and snapped as it grew outwards, his cheekbones and nose growing outwards into a muzzle, his spine bowing as it grew outwards into a tail. His hands curved inwards at his knuckles, the bones starting to fuse together to form paws, the same happening with his feet. His ears traveled up the sides of his head to grow pointed at the tops, his bones snapping back into place as the change started to come to a stop. His body began to shudder as black and russet fur covered his entire body, claws scrapping across the floorboards as he gave his body a long and slow stretch, to fit into his new body. _It's been way too long; I forgot how good it feels to let the wolf out. _

Darry rose onto his now four legs and gave his fur a firm shake in order to fully rouse himself from the lingering blur of pain, his unnaturally blue eyes scanning his room. His wolf didn't want to be confined in the room and neither did he, he wanted to run, wanted the freedom of the run. With a soft, groaned out growl, he jumped onto his hinde legs and swiped at the doorknob a few times, his claws leaving slight indents in the wood of the door. With a frustrated growl, he lowered back down onto all four legs, giving in to the fact that the door wasn't about to open anytime soon from this side. A soft whine left his muzzle as he began to pace in circles the length of the room, tail tip twitching from side to side. Darry laid his ears flat against his skull, backing up a few paces before he ran at the door, one of his broad shoulders hitting it near the doorknob; he watched in satisfaction as the door swung open a bit. _Finally, maybe I can actually get a run tonight. _He used his nose and muzzle to open the door the rest of the way, ears perked up and swiveling to the sides in order to hear everything around him. After giving himself another good stretch and a firm shake of his fur, he padded into the hallway, pink tongue darting out to lick over his muzzle, icy blue eyes darting around. Those eyes landed on the door of the house, his movements freezing when the door swung open with Two-Bit and Dally staggering in.

"I still can't believe that blonde up and stormed off on me." complained Two-Bit as he staggered in through the door, reeking heavily of beer and some strange perfume, making Darry's black nose wrinkle and twitch at the overbearing scent.

"You spilt all your beer on her, idiot. I'm surprised she didn't deck you one, girls can have a mean right hook." replied Dally with a chuckle as he used his foot to close the door behind themselves, hearing it slam against the wooden frame.

"I tripped over a rock, that blonde was a bit of a b-." started the blonde headed teen but he was soon cut off by Dally going rigid beside him, saying only one word: "Dog."

"Yeah, man. She sure was a dog." replied Two-Bit with a chuckle as he flopped down onto the couch, sprawling across the cushions.

"No, dude. Dog, I think. It's pretty damn huge to be a regular dog." explained Dally as he hauled the teen up from the couch, turning his body in the direction of where the 'dog' now stood in the hall. Darry lowered his head and pressed his ears flat against his skull again, lips drawing back a bit as his shackles raised and his fur bristled along his back.

"That – That is no dog. It looks like a wolf, man. What the hell is it doing in here? How the hell did it get in here? Oh my god, we're going to die!" exclaimed Two-Bit in a slight panic, even though he looked a bit more sober than before, eyes wide in fear, that was coming off of the teen in waves. The wolf gave his black and russet fur a shake before he turned tail and bolted back into his bedroom, with both teens moving cautiously behind him.

"What the hell are we supposed to do with it? I'm not going anywhere near it, that thing could tear me to shreds." asked Dally as he and Two-Bit pressed themselves against the wall outside of the oldest Curtis' bedroom door, which had closed a bit when the wolf went in. Their eyes narrowed in confusion as they heard the slight sounds of bones snapping and cracking, growls and whines turning to groans and hisses of pain. Behind the door, Darry rose out of his crouched position, panting softly as he rose to his feet, rolling his head on his shoulders before he slid on boxers and his jeans again. He took a slow breath and forced his nerves to lower, before he used his foot to completely open the bedroom door to face both of the younger teens. 


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own the characters of The Outsiders. They rightfully belong to S.E. Hinton. I only own this idea. Reviews are appreciated, I'd love to know what you think.

"What the hell are you two doing back here already? I thought you both were with Pony and Johnny?" asked Darry as he walked out of his bedroom, shrugging his shirt up over his shoulders and then down over his sides. Two-Bit and Dally were both pressed flat against the wall across the hall, their breathing was sharp and labored and their eyes were as wide as saucers.

"We were and we did have dates until Two-Bit here dumped his beer all over a blonde, but that's not the dang point. What happened to that dog? Wolf? Whatever the hell it was." asked Dally as he followed the oldest Curtis down the hall and into the kitchen, where he started to wet a cloth for other teen to use to clean himself up with. He tossed the rag to the younger teen and leaned back against the counter watching as he ran it over his face to help sober himself up.

"How drunk are you Dally? I don't exactly remember seeing a dog, or a wolf anywhere near here. Let alone in the house." questioned Darry as he raised an eyebrow slowly at the Greaser, eyes narrowed a fraction.

"Not drunk enough to start seeing shit like that. You want to explain what's going on here? Where the hell that animal went?" asked the smaller Greaser as he crossed his arms over his chest, mirroring the stance of the older Greaser. A soft chuckle left Darry's lips, as he spread his arms wide, in a gesture for the teen to look around.

"Take a good look around, Dal. There's no animal anywhere in this house and there's not going to be. If you want to take a look, by all means, go for it. I really think you ought to sleep this one off." replied Darry as he walked past the younger teen, only to feel a hand come down roughly on his shoulder. The older Greaser spun around and tightly grasped the wrist that was connected to the owner of the hand, a growl leaving his lips in a warning.

"Take it easy, both of you. Dally, just go for a walk and cool off, go check on the two kids for a while, sit in for the rest of the movie or something." ordered Two-Bit as he gave the other teen's shoulder a shove to get him walking towards the door. He waited until the door slammed shut, the hinges creaking against the strain, before he turned his attention back to the older Greaser. Darry waited until the other teen was out of ear-shot before he filled a glass with water and slid it across the counter to the smaller of the two, narrowing his eyes again when he shook his head in a dismissive manner.

"Won't need it, not nearly drunk enough to even get a hangover anymore. Sobered up real fast seeing that thing. You know you can trust me, right? You can trust all of us." asked Two-Bit as he narrowed his own eyes at the older teen, not as a challenge but just to prod at getting answers. A very soft growl left the older teen's throat as he paced a few steps, arms still crossed over his chest.

"I know that, Two-Bit. What are you getting at here?" asked Darry as he turned to fully face the teen, locking eyes with him, refusing to drop or move his gaze.

"Your eyes changed color when you grabbed hold of Dally's wrist. They turned bright blue, man, that's not something easy to hide. Care to explain?" asked the smaller teen as he too locked gazes with the older Greaser, refusing to drop his. It was like a dominance battle between two Alphas, neither one willing to submit to the other.

"Are you sure that you're not drunk?" asked Darry as he took a seat at the table, leaning back a bit in his chair, gesturing for the other to take a seat.

"Cut the bull, Darry. It's just you and me here, nobody else is going to hear a thing. Be honest with me here. Are you on something?"

"Think that one through, Two-Bit. I've had a clean track record since High School and I plan on keeping it that way. I'm not on anything and I don't plan to be."

"Then explain it, it's obviously something you don't want any of us to know about. Do your brothers know? Did your parents know?"

"No, neither Pony or Soda know, I don't plan on telling them either. As for my parents, they know. It's inherited, through the male side of the bloodline, transferred from generation to generation. Mom was completely human, Dad was not, he had the DNA in his blood, when they had me that DNA was transferred. As far as I know, the DNA has skipped both Pony and Soda, which is a very good thing." explained Darry as he crossed his arms over his chest again, the muscles in his arms bulging.

"What DNA? How is it a good thing that it skipped both Pony and Sodapop?" asked Two-Bit as he leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table between them.

"With the DNA skipping both of my brothers, it keeps them safe, keeps them out of much more danger than they would be in if they had the DNA. They're safer without it in their blood."

"You still haven't answered the other question. What DNA?"

"It's easier to show than it is to explain." replied Darry as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table, hands clasped together. He closed his eyes and rolled his head on his shoulders, bones cracking slightly and making odd fusing sounds as they shifted around beneath his skin. A soft growl left his lips as he opened his eyes again and unclasped his hands, his claws now clicking on the table. Darry blinked his eyes a few times as they remained a bright blue, canines shifted downwards into sharp points, matching the bottom set. He could hear the slight pick up of Two-Bit's heatbeat, watching as his pupils dilated a bit in slight fear. Darry closed his eyes slowly and reversed the small shift he had made, everything returning back to normal.


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own the characters of The Outsiders. They rightfully belong to S.E. Hinton. I only own this idea and the characters I have created for the purpose of this story. Reviews are appreciated. I love to know what you think.

"Slow your heartbeat down, Two-Bit, before you have a heart attack." ordered Darry as he leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table, eyebrows raised in the direction of the other teen. His ears were tuned towards hearing the teen's heart racing in his chest, the scent of fear still clinging in the air.

"You can hear my heart beating? What else?" asked Two-Bit in confusion and curiosity as he too leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, eyes locked on the older Greaser. The scent of fear had dwindled down to the scent of curiosity and excitement, his muscles twitching underneath his skin with the excitement.

"Your heartbeat, the scent of your fear the minute I did the partial shift, your muscles twitching every few seconds as your curiosity rises. Your foot tapping on the floor, which is driving me crazy. As well as your initial natural scent, underneath the booze and chocolate from this morning." explained the wolf as he decided to lean back in his chair, his nostrils flaring as he brought the other teen's scent in.

"Natural scent? Since you can smell it, what is it?" asked Two-Bit as a smirk started to form on his lips, the corners of his mouth turning upwards. Darry closed his eyes and took a deeper breath, memorizing and familiarizing the scent in front of him.

"Underneath the booze and chocolate, there's the scent of the earth, your mother's perfume, natural energy which is stronger. There's something else there, but I can't really describe it, it's tantalizing, really catches my attention." explained the older Greaser in all honesty, his eyes showing that he was telling the truth.

"I didn't think you could get all that much just from one scent. What are your brothers' natural scents?" asked the younger of the pair with wide eyes, his interest showing clearly in his voice.

"They're almost completely similar when it comes to their scents. Cinnamon, nature, the scent of woods. A deeper scent, something heavier than our parents' scents, it has more of a musk to it than anything. Ponyboy's scent is stronger because he's younger and still forming it, I'd be able to locate them just by scent even in a crowd. The closer I am to them, connection wise, is the more I'll be able to recognize of their scent. We can pick up on any changes in scents, behavior, things like that just by being around them." explained Darry as his eyes flickered a few times to the icy blue, his eyes locking on the other teen's eyes.

"I know I'm just bombarding you with questions after questions, but, what caused you to do the full shift? It's not like it's a full moon or anything. Like. Can you do it on will or is it forced?" asked Two-Bit as he leaned even closer over the table, earning him a slightly beated huff from the older teen.

"The shift that you caught the result of was basically forced, I held it back for as long as I could. My body finally gave in and my wolf took over, the shift was forced by the wolf. I can't hold it back for a long time, without it being forced out like that. The longer I hold it back, the more likely I have of shifting without control. No control and somebody could get hurt." said Darry with tiny hints of guilt in his voice, as if he knew the outcome of the lack of control.

"I have about a thousand more questions to ask, but without knowing what time the rest of the gang are coming back, I'll settle for asking one last question. What was your first shift like? Your very first initial shift." asked Two-Bit as he rose from his seat to walk over to the fridge, starting to root around to see if there were any beer in the clear back of the fridge.

"I was 14 when I went through my first initial full shift, it wasn't supposed to happen until I at least turned 16. When the shift had started, I had no clue of what was going on or how to handle it. I was practically writhing on the floor in pain, it was that intense. Bones snapping and muscles tearing free from the bones. Believe me, it's not something you ever want to go through. Females that are bitten or born usually never survive the first initial shift, their bodies aren't strong enough to tolerate it. Born males have a higher rate of survival and bitten shifters have little control when it comes to their wolves. They have to be trained and taught how to control their wolves. I would never want to relive my first shift." explained Darry in all honesty, his voice fading out the minute he heard the front door of the house open, hearing it clang back against the wall when it opened.

"One last question." whispered Two-Bit softly but quickly, wanting to get the question out of the way before anybody overheard them. Darry made a small gesture with his hand to give the teen the chance to continue with his question. The younger Greaser seemed to consider how to ask the question before he just blurted out "Are we all Pack? Or is it just wolves?". Darry snorted softly under his breath before he cast a smile in the teen's direction.

"Of course you're Pack, you're family. Everybody here is Pack, it's not just about wolves, humans help keep the Pack balanced out." whispered out the wolf before the kitchen was overrun with the rest of the gang who were trying to find anything and everything to eat.

"Any chocolate cake left over, Dar?" asked Ponyboy as he walked up behind his older brother and wrapped his arms around his neck from behind, his scent wrapping his older brother fully. Darry turned his head in the direction of his younger brothers', chuckling softly under his breath.

"Second shelf in the back." replied the wolf as he grinned at his younger brother, who was still clinging to him like a little kid. Darry reached up and around and ruffled the youngest Curtis' hair, earning him a a swat at his hand. Ponyboy turned around and untangled himself from his oldest brother, turning to head back towards the fridge in search of the cake, his scent trailing behind him. Darry's eyes flickered a few times to the icy blue when an unknown scent trailed after his youngest brother's, the scent of another wolf, an Alpha. Two-Bit reached over and slapped the oldest Greaser's arm with a quick gesture towards his eyes, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Darry blinked a few times and rubbed at his eyes until they returned to their natural color, shaking his head a bit at the other teen, a silent way of telling him that they would discuss it later.


End file.
